Water bags



July 30, 1963 H. R. RUSCH 3,099,308

WATER BAGS Filed Aug. 1'7, 1961 Ali 23 14 7 15 INVENTOR.

BY HELMUTH RuscH ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,099,308 WATER BAGS Helmuth R. Rusch, Rte. 2, Reedsville, Wis. Filed Aug. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 132,120 4 Claims. (Cl. 150-21) This invention relates to water bags or bottles tor hot or cold application to the human body.

Water bags of conventional type have been found to be uncomfortable and inefficient when applied to certain portions of the human body, such as the under-arm, under-knee, buttock and groin areas.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved 'Water bag which can be effectively applied to various parts of the human body for heating or cooling purposes and which will be comfortable when in use.

Another object is to provide .a water bag which will fit comfortably in confined or narrow spaces formed between portions of the human body and which can readily be flexed or distorted to conform to the irregular surfaces of such body spaces and to cover extended skin areas.

A further object is to provide a water bag which can be easily and conveniently filled, and which is capable of inexpensive manufacture.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water bag constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bag, a stopper thereof being omitted;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bag taken generally on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, with a stopper included;

FIG. 4 is a detail sectional view taken generally on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a detail view showing means for storing or suspending the bag when not in use.

"In the drawing, designates generally a water bag of the invention, the bag being formed or molded, preferably in one piece, or rubber or rubber-like material. The bag comprises a hollow wedge-shaped body portion 11 formed by generally flat, flexible tront and back walls 12 and 16 and opposite flexible side walls 14, the side walls having rounded junctions 15 with the front and back walls. The flexible enclosing walls of the wedgeshaped body portion terminate at an approximately straight closed edge portion .16 of the bag. The closed edge portion )1-6, which forms an end of the bag, is relatively thin and flexible, being about thick, and has rounded opposite ends 17 which merge into the side walls. The front and back bag walls 12 and 13 diverge with respect to each other trom the closed end of the bag at a small included angle, such as about 14, and the opposite side walls 14 converge with respect to each other from the closed end with an included angle of about '30. The side walls may be outwardly bulged, as seen in FIG. '4.

At a region distant from the closed end of the bag the flexible walls of the wedge-shaped body portion 11 merge smoothly into a rounded, upwardly projecting, hollow elbow portion 18. The elbow portion has flexible walls except for a relatively rigid thickened cylindrical neck 19 at its upper end presenting a relatively large upwardly opening filling mouth 20, the neck having an internal screw-threaded 2:1 to receive a threaded closure plug or stopper 22. The rounded elbow portion 18 is curved through an angle of approximately 90 to the plane of the back or bottom wall .13, the axis of the neck extending at about right angles to this plane. The bag is receive safety pins or other fastening devices, not shown,

the tabs being arch-shaped and lying approximately parallel to the back or bottom wall of the bag. These tabs are of such shape and are so located as to avoid discomfort to the patient.

While the dimensions and proportions of the water .bag of the invention may be varied, a typical bag may be about 10" long, about 7 /2" wide at the closed end, and about 4" high at the elbow end, the neck portion being about 2%" in diameter.

When the bag is to be used, it is filled with a suitable amount of hot or cold water, or ice, according to the requirements of a patient. During the filling operation, the bag may be rested on a horizontal supporting surface in the position shown in FIG. 3, the filling neck projecting upwardly. The closure plug 22 is then screwed into the neck, and the bag is applied to the patient. In some instances, parts of the bag may be shielded from contact with the patient, as by a towel pinned to the bag. In the case of a patient lying on his back, it is usually desirable to have the thin closed lower end of the bag lowermost. When the bag is applied to under-arm or groin areas, the curved configuration of the flexible bag readily permits conformation of the bag to body contours, and the wedge-shaped body portion 11 of the bag may be flexed, compressed or distorted in various directions to improve such conforming configuration. When the wedge-shaped body portion .11 is laterally compressed, as for disposition under an arm or between the thighs of a patient, the bag side walls .14 may assume positions such as those indicated by the broken lines 14 in FIG. 2, and the trout and back Walls 12 and 13 may assume outwardly deflected positions such as those indicated by the broken lines 12', 13 of FIG. 3. In some applications, the wedge-shaped body portion may be compressed in a direction tending to flatten and widen this body portion. The patient can lie comfortably on the closed edge portion -16 of the bag, as this edge po :tion is relatively thin and flexible and is free from beads, ribs and tabs.

When the bag is not in use it may be suitably supported in suspended position, neck down, as by a wall hanger 24-, FIG. 5, having a flat base 25 provided with screw-receiving openings 26' and having reversely bent flanges 27 forming tapered channels to conformably receive the opposite sides of the wedge-like body portion of the bag at a region near the closed end of the bag.

I claim:

1. A liquid container adapted for application to a skin surface for heating or cooling said surface, comprising a flexible bag of liquid impervious material having .a hollow wedge-shaped body portion tapering toward one end to a thin closed flexible edge and merging at its other end into an upwardly projecting hollow elbow portion with a closable filling neck at its upper end, said body portion including opposite side walls diverging with respect to each other at a substantial included angle [from said elbow portion toward said closed edge.

2. A liquid container adapted [for application to a skin surface for heating or cooling said surface, comprising a flexible bag of liquid impervious material having a hollow wedge-shaped body portion with trout and back walls and opposite side walls, said front and back walls converging to a thin flexible edge donning .a closed end of said body portion, said side walls diverging with respect to each other toward said closed end, and said body portion merging at its other end into a hollow 3 rounded upwardly projecting elbow portion including a neck provided with a elosable upwardly opening filling mouth at its upper end.

-3 A liquid container adapted for application to a skin "siiifzice for heating or eo'oling -s'iiid sur faee, comprising a ileXiBle bgof 'liofiid5irnpe1vioiis material having a hol now Wedge-shaped body portion tapeiing'to wgrdo-ne end to a tliin 'ol'osed fle'xible'edge and communicating at its other end 'nf 'iwrdly projecting elbow portion inblhdiii'g "a neck pontion provid'd'with anupwardly open- ;ifng filling'niouth, sid #body portion including opposite side wan-s diverging *from 'said elbow portion toward said closed end, and the included angle between 'said side "walls b'e'ing'of the order of 30. 7 V

4. 'A'liqnid'eontainer adapted for application to a skin surface for heating or cooling said surface, comprising a flexible bag of rubber-like rnater-ial having a hollow Wedge-shaped body portion tapering to a thin [flexible closed end and provided at its other end with an upwardly projecting elbow portion including an upwardly opening closable filling nook, s aid'b'ody portion including opposite sidewalls which ,are laterally divergent at a substantial .inoluded'angle' with respect toeac'h other toward said thin closed end. 

1. A LIQUID CONTAINER ADAPTED FOR APPLICATION TO A SKIN SURFACE FOR HEATING OR COOLING SAID SURFACE, COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE BAG OF LIQUID-IMPERVIOUS MATERIAL HAVING A HOLLOW WEDGE-SHAPED BODY PORTION TAPERING TOWARD ONE END TO A THIN CLOSED FLEXIBLE EDGE AND MERGING AT ITS OTHER END INTO AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING HOLLOW ELBOW PORTION WITH A CLOSABLE FILLING NECK AT ITS UPPER END, SAID BODY PORTION INCLUDING OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS DIVERGING WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AT SUBSTANTIAL INCLUDED ANGLE FROM SAID ELBOW PORTION TOWARD SAID CLOSED EDGE. 